Red wine has anti-bacterial impact, new study

Red wine has potent bacteria fighting properties, suggests new
research from scientists in the US that examined the impact both
red and white wines could have on a range of common food pathogens.

Researchers at the department of food science and technology at
Oregon State University in the US found that all the wines tested
had bactericidal activity against Escherichia coli O157:H7,
Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella Typhimurium, and Staphylococcus
aureus. With red wine the most potent.

The synergistic effect of organic acids, ethanol, and low pH
seems to be responsible for a major part of the antibacterial
effect of wine, said the researchers.

"When different combinations of ethanol, organic acids, and
acidity were tested against the pathogens, it was found that a
composition of 0.15 per cent malic acid, 0.6 per cent tartaric
acid, 15 per cent ethanol, and pH 3.0 had a strong bactericidal
effect,"​ report the scientists in the November/December issue
of the Journal of Food Science, 69(9):M251-7.​

Despite the suggested anti-bacterial effect present in the wine
complex, as wine players increase in size - a sign of the times -
they expose their businesses to greater risk, both qualitative and
quantitative.

Ingredients firms are moving to target this growing potential
market that sees just 3 per cent of wines inoculated with
industrial bacteria as the traditional wine industry relies on
centuries-old natural wine formulations.

Lionel Schmitt, sales and marketing manager at Chr Hansen,
believes consolidation in the global wine market will drive growth
for its industrial bacterias.

"In Australia for example four wineries cover 70 per cent of
the market. Our products can eliminate some of the risk associated
with the natural malolactic fermentation approach because they can
secure production,"​ he recently told FoodNavigator.com.

The need to manage production in an industrial fashion grows
with increasing size, added Schmitt.

But with 97 per cent of the global wine businesses using
traditional techniques the market still needs some convincing.

The firm supplies a range of wine ingredients that cover
bacteria cultures, enzymes and yeasts. Last year it launched a new
bacterial strain for red wine with a high alcohol content (16-17
per cent): Viniflora CH16. The product removes malic acid "so
that the wine-maker can assure the quality of high-alcohol
wines."​